


The Baker's Apprentice

by Ebb_tide



Series: Fairytale AU [1]
Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fairy Tale, Falling In Love, Fluff, Friendship, Love, M/M, Narry - Freeform, Niall is a star, harry is a baker, lots of fluff
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-10-08
Updated: 2015-10-07
Packaged: 2018-04-25 08:31:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 4,376
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4953463
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ebb_tide/pseuds/Ebb_tide
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A fairy tale love story about a baker named Harry that wishes on a shooting star named Niall.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. When you wish upon a star

Once upon a time there lived a young man named Harry. He lived during a time of princesses and princes. A time of magical adventures and epic quests. A time of knights and damsels in distress. One could walk into the local tavern and listen to the stories of daring rescues and heart stopping action from any handful of patrons. Everyone in the land had a story of epic proportions to share.

 

Everyone except Harry.

 

Harry’s story was different. He lived a simple life as a baker’s apprentice. He baked his bread just as the sun rose and he continued on his craft well after the sun had set. Harry had been working as a baker all of his life. His parents had sold him to the baker, Mr. Tindle, when he was just a baby. Like a loaf of fresh bread, Harry was sold for two gold coins.

 

After that transaction, Mr. Tindle was given the responsibility of taking care of the rather well behaved baby. Unfortunately the baker was just as impatient when waiting for his bread to rise as he was in raising Harry. He forced the boy to work long, hard hours learning the craft of baking at a young age. He was never allowed to go out and play with the other children of the land, so he had no friends at all.

 

As the years passed, the baking boy matured into a baking young man and a skilled one at that. When Harry reached 16, the year most young men tried to woo potential wives, he was forced to spend all his time in the bakery. Harry was charming, friendly, and everything a young woman would desire in a husband. He was always cheery and polite to customers. Harry loved conversation and the customers that came by were the only chance he had at socializing at all.

Another desirable trait that Harry had was his dashing good looks. His emerald green eyes, curly brown hair, and dimpled grin made him one of the most attractive available bachelors in all the land.

 

Jealous of these traits, Mr. Tindle worked harder and harder to crush the boy’s spirit.  So day after day Harry followed the routine of sleep, bake, eat, until the poor boy was nearly bored to tears. But try as he might, the baker could not change fate. Harry’s fate was not be a baker’s apprentice for his entire life. Fate had something completely different planned for him.

 

Harry felt like he would never have any adventures to share or any stories to tell. Soon, he would find out how truly wrong he was. He was about to meet someone named Niall that was just as ready for adventure as he was.

 

**Harry POV**

 

I kneaded the dough as fast as I could, knowing that my master was already passed the point of enraged. Whenever we get an order from the royal castle, he gets cranky, but the fact that we got the order in the wee hours of the night and he had to be woken up just added to the rage. The dim light from a candle in the corner of the room helped illuminate the dough at my fingertips.

 

Master Tindle looked at me with so much anger, that I thought he would explode. He shouted at me, even though the room was small enough to never warrant that. “Harry! Why is this taking so long?!”

 

I bit my lip and tried to knead faster. A loaf of bread takes time to make. It’s not like I could just magically make it bake and then-.

 

Master Tindle interrupted my thoughts. “If you don’t finish that and have it in the oven by the time I count to ten, I will throw you into the oven instead. Do you hear me? I will cook you and serve you to the King and Queen and pass you off as bread. Do I make myself clear?”

 

I nodded. Master Tindle must still be half asleep. He never misses a chance to yell at me, but his threats are usually far more realistic than ‘I’ll throw you in the oven’. As I was shaping the dough, I looked at the back of my hand. The dark red burn on it was a reminder of the threat he gave me yesterday.

 

Master Tindle’s voice echoed through the small room. “One…two…three…”

 

I grabbed the bag of flour and searched for the flat baking pan. My heart started to pound as I pushed aside the other pots and pans looking for the elusive baking pan.

 

“…four… five… six…”

 

My shaking fingers snatched the pan as if it were pirate treasure. I raced back to the cooking table and double checked the bag of flour. We had two types. The flour we used for bread that we sell at full price is white and pure and fluffy. The flour that we use for the half price bread is a mix of flour, beach sand, and wood shavings. Mr. Tindle makes it carefully enough that our customers never get sick. When he makes a new batch of this “flour” he always has me taste it to make sure that it’s healthy.

 

I cringed at the memory of a week ago. He must have added too much wood or sand, because I was sick all day. I remember trying to roll cookie dough flat with a rolling pin in one hand, with my other hand clutching my stomach.

 

The countdown forced me to focus again. “…seven… eight…”

I spread the real flour on the pan as fast as humanly possible and I stumbled to the oven almost dropping my victory bread to the floor.

 

“…nine…”

 

I lit the fire inside the brick oven and I shoved in the doughy masterpiece.

 

“…TEN!”

 

I shut the door and breathed a sigh of relief knowing that I wouldn’t be baking on the same rack as the tasty loaf. I waited for the ‘good job’ praise that I never receive.

 

Master Tindle’s face cracked into a smile. “Look at you. You may be just a little less than useless today.”

 

I guess that’s as close to good job as I’m going to get.

 

My master took a bowl from the pile of pots and pans and threw it at me. I wasn’t expecting it, so I put my hands up to catch at a little too late and the iron pot grazed the side of my head before my fingers got a grip on it. I put the bowl on the table and rubbed the sore area with my hand. It wasn’t bleeding, but I knew I would have a pretty bad headache by sunrise.

 

My master and I worked in the dimly lit room for what felt like forever. I kept blinking my eyes to stay awake and thankfully my master didn’t notice. He was too focused on the cake he was making. Almost all the time he’s too lazy to work with me, but during times like this he has no choice. The princess requested five dozen gingerbread cookies. There’s no way I could shape and decorate all of them and make the cake she requested too.

 

For a man whose hands are so often clenched into fists, he can use those same hands to carefully mix colors into frosting. The same hands that pound against my face when he disciplines me are the same hands that delicately add roses to a cake. 

 

He added the final touches to the cake as I put the last rake of cookies into the oven. I yawned as I looked forward to collapsing in my bed. Even though it was just a pile of hay in the back room, it was enough for me. I just had to keep my eyes open for just a moment longer.

 

Master Tindle’s voice travelled through the room like a venomous snake. “Where do you think you’re going boy?”

 

I gave him an innocent look, hoping for a little pity. “Um, I’m really tired. I just thought that…”

 

I trailed off. I know what’s coming next, and it’s not sleep. As expected, Master Tindle shook his head. “The baker gets to sleep. The baker’s apprentice has to clean up and watch the food.”

He shoved a broom in my hands. “If I see that the bottoms of those cookies are even the lightest shade of black, I’ll make you regret it.”

 

He stormed off to his room and the headache that I had anticipated started to arrive with slow pulsing throbs. I tried not to cry, I really did. Ever since I was a little boy, I knew that tears weren’t going to make a difference, but for some reason I could never prevent them.

 

I wiped my eyes with the sleeve of my shirt as I swept the floor. The room had a dirt floor, so it was easy to see the trail of flour that littered it. I swept the white powder into a pile in front of the door. When it was all gathered there, I opened the door to sweep it out.

 

As I opened the door, I couldn’t help but look at the moonlit sky. The night sky was filled with stars and a giant glowing moon. I stared at the stars as the cool night air made me forget how exhausted I was.

 

Out of nowhere, one of the stars moved across the sky and left a trail of white behind it. I gasped and quickly closed my eyes. One of my customers had told me that you can wish on a shooting star. I wished aloud in the moonlit darkness. “I wish that I could be a great baker. I try so hard to make Master Tindle happy. I work really hard and I don’t complain, but he still hates me and he hates my cooking.”

 

I felt the tears return to my eyes as I looked up at the sky. “All I wish for is to be a great baker. If I can do a good job for Master Tindle, I don’t mind if he hits me. I just want to be a great baker so he doesn’t regret buying me.”

 

I brought myself, and the broom, back into the house. The room was filled with the smell of baked gingerbread cookies and I raced to the oven to make sure they weren’t burnt. I grabbed a rag and took the cookies out of the oven. I carefully scraped them off of the pan and saw that there wasn’t a hint of black on the bottom.

 

I smiled, knowing that my chores were done for the night. I dragged my feet lazily across the dirt floor as I headed to my room. As I layed down for the sleep I was dying for, I smiled. The gingerbread cookies were perfectly cooked. Maybe wishing on a shooting star really does work.


	2. Little star in the sky

**Niall POV**

 

I sighed as I hung motionless in the sky. That’s the bad thing about being a star. All I do is hang around and talk. I wish I was in another constellation pattern. This one is so boring.

 

My home constellation is Gemini, The Twins. There are many theories about Gemini, but let me tell you the truth. This constellation has two stars that shine the brightest, me and my brother Greg. Greg is the brighter star and much bigger. The other stars that make up the Gemini constellation are our star family. We have mom and dad and a few other aunts, uncles, and cousins. We stay in this formation and we live happily in the cool darkness of space.

 

My brother Greg was shining extra brightly as he talked to me. “What’s up Niall? You’re shining kind of dimly, is something wrong?”

 

I sighed. “I love you guys and all, but aren’t you bored of just doing the same thing all the time? Don’t you want to see new things?”

 

Greg got quiet.

 

I spoke quickly. “I love you and all, but…”

 

Greg’s voice was low. “That’s the second time you said I love you. Are you trying to butter me up?”

 

I let my words travel slowly. “I want to leave.”

 

Greg laughed. “You can’t. You’re a star Niall.”

 

I felt myself getting sad. “So all there is for me is to shine brightly until I fade out.”

 

Greg whispered. “There is another way.”

 

I knew I could count on Greg. He’s always been smarter than me. “Please tell me.”

 

Greg shined as brightly as he could. “Don’t say I didn’t do anything for you.”

 

The bright light of my brother caused me to wobble just a bit out of orbit. The wobble caused me to shoot away from him and then back again.

 

Greg cheered. “Ok, phase one worked. I got you to move. Let’s hope someone saw you on one of the planets and we can move into phase two.”

 

I didn’t quite understand. “Phase two?”

Before Greg could answer, I heard a voice. It sounded distant and unfamiliar, but I could tell it was directed at me.

 

I listened closely as the voice spoke.

 

“I wish that I could be a great baker. I try so hard to make Master Tindle happy. I work really hard and I don’t complain, but he still hates me and he hates my cooking.”

 

The voice scared me a little. “How does this other star know me and where are they?”

 

Greg laughed and sparkled brightly. “It’s not another star. It’s a person that saw you move and wished on you. It’s definitely a human from Earth and it sounds like a boy.”

 

I questioned my knowledgeable brother. “Boy?”

 

Greg answered. “Yup. Humans come in boy and girl. They’re a lot like us stars too. They start out as small things called children. Then they grow and get brighter and more defined as adults. Then they get small and weak, I forget what that’s called.”

 

I tried to piece together what he was saying. “So a boy from Earth wished on me and now I can hear him? Greg, how is this going to fix my boredom problem?”

 

Greg chuckled. “Cuz you’re going to go down to Earth and solve his problem. Well, not as a hot ball of starry energy, but in disguise.”

 

The voice of the boy said something else. “All I wish for is to be a great baker. If I can do a good job for Master Tindle, I don’t mind if he hits me. I just want to be a great baker so he doesn’t regret buying me.”

 

I felt really confused. “I don’t know what any of that means. How can I help him?”

 

Greg laughed. “You’ll figure it out. Remember, when you sleep you can talk to me and the rest of us stars.”

 

I started to orbit away from Greg. “Wait! What’s sleep?”

 

He answered but he was too far away to hear. I started racing through the sky, passing planet after planet. Finally I reached the blueish planet that I assumed was Earth. The only reason I assumed this was because I was headed straight for it.

 

When I stopped freefalling, I found myself in a small kitchen. I’m not sure how I knew what a kitchen was, but I guess I was given some basic human knowledge so I could help the boy. I had to look like a human, but that knowledge was not familiar to me.

I looked around in the dark room and saw something on the table. They were small and similar and they smelled really good. These brown things, must be humans. I adopted the form of one of them and I introduced myself. “I’m Niall and I’m here to make a boy a great baker. Which one of you is boy?”

 

The group of humans on the table didn’t answer. I spoke louder. “WHICH ONE OF YOU IS BOY?”

 

After my second attempt didn’t get a response, I figured that humans just aren’t that friendly. I heard a voice from the other room. It wasn’t boy. The voice was much deeper and really kind of terrifying.

 

As the voice got louder I assumed he was getting closer. The voice sounded angry, but I wasn’t sure what to do. I looked at the humans on the table and decided to lay next to them. I stayed as still as a star when the angry voice entered the room. I gasped at the giant standing before me.


	3. The magical moment that two stars collide

**Harry POV**

 

I’m not sure how long I was sleeping, but the sound of Master Tindle yelling, woke me up with a start. I ran into the room as fast as possible and saw him knocking over pots and pans as he stalked around the room.

 

I rubbed the sleep from my eyes and yawned. “Is something wrong?”

 

Master Tindle frowned. “I heard something. Did you leave the door open? Last time you did that, a cat came in.”

 

I shook my head. “No, sir. The cat came in when you left the door open.”

 

My master walked over to me and grabbed me by the collar. “How dare you correct me, boy!”

 

I heard a small voice say. “Boy.”

 

Master Tindle frowned. “Don’t repeat what I say. It’s annoying.”

 

I stuttered. “B-but I didn’t say anything.”

 

Master Tindle moved his hands from my collar to my neck. “Don’t sass me, boy. I swear, I will hurt you.”

 

The small voice spoke again. “No, don’t do that.”

 

The voice was a lot different than mine, but Master Tindle either didn’t notice or didn’t care. “What did you just say?”

 

The voice answered. “You said not to repeat what you said. I don’t want you to think I’m annoying.”

 

Master Tindle let go of my neck. “I don’t have the patience for this. I have to deliver this cake and these cookies to the palace. I don’t want them to think I’m a bad baker.”

 

The voice responded. “You’re not a great baker, but I’ll help you to become one.”

 

I felt my body start to shake. “I-I didn’t s-say that. P-please sir…”

 

Master Tindle pointed a finger in my face. “When I get back, you’ll be sorry for that. Do you hear me? Now help me pack up these cookies, while I load this cake in the wagon.”

 

I nodded. As Master brought the cake outside I walked over to the tray of gingerbread cookies. I started to put them in a basket when the small voice spoke. “Hi, boy. I’m glad I found you.”

 

My eyes shot open. “Who are you? Where are you?”

 

The voice laughed. “I’m Niall and I’m down here with all of these others.”

 

I looked down at the tray of gingerbread cookies and one of them waved at me.

 

I stepped away from the table quickly. “You… You’re a… a cookie!”

 

The gingerbread cookie frowned. “I don’t know what cookie means, but if it means I’m here to help, then yes, I’m a cookie.”

 

I tried to stay calm. If cookies can come to life, or if they were alive all this time, then I may have to rethink my profession. I looked at the tray full of gingerbreads. “Are all of you guys alive?”

 

The cookie frowned. Oh my god! The cookie frowned! “Um, these others haven’t said anything to me, so I think we can assume no.”

 

I heard my master coming through the door. I whispered to the talking cookie. Actually, I think he said his name was Niall. “Please don’t say anything else. You’ll get me in trouble again.”

 

The cookie smiled. “Ok.”

 

Master Tindle shouted at me. “Didn’t I tell you to pack these cookies up? Why are you so dumb?”

 

I scooted the Niall cookie aside and packed up the rest. Master Tindle caught me. “Did you steal one of the cookies?”

 

I shook my head. “No, sir. It’s just that I made one too many, so I thought that I could, um have this one for myself.”

 

My master slapped me across the face. It was something he did many times, and it wasn’t too painful, but the room filled with a loud cry of pain. The sound came from the gingerbread, but my Master smiled, thinking I had done it.

 

I looked down to see if my talking confection was ok and I gasped as I saw one of his legs was broken off. Did he do that just so he could stay with me? Why would he-?

 

The sound of my Master grumbling caught my attention. “That cookie’s leg is cracked. You’re lucky he was an extra one, or I would have had to crack _your_ leg.”

Well I guess cracking my leg would be better than throwing me in the oven. At least his threats are getting less cruel.

 

Master Tindle grunted as he picked up the basket of cookies. “I’m going to the castle to drop these off, and then I’m going to the tavern. I need to spend some time with worthwhile people instead of spending all day with a dumb mule like you.”

 

He slammed the door and drove the wagon off to the castle.

 

I looked down at the table and at my broken gingerbread man. I tried not to sound hysterical. “Are you ok? Please say you’re ok.”

 

The tiny cookie sat up and took the piece of his leg in his hands. He nodded, but didn’t speak.

 

I remembered what I had made him promise and quickly tried to undo it. “It’s ok, you can talk now. I won’t get in trouble. My master is gone.”

 

The cookie closed his eyes. “I tried so hard not to yell, but it hurt really badly. I didn’t really think it would hurt that bad. I didn’t do a bad thing did I? We’re still friends right?”

 

I smiled and nodded. I never had a friend before. I must admit, during some of my lonelier days I have spoken to the gingerbread cookies, but I never imagined one would talk back.

 

I took a deep breath. “So you’re a cookie?”

 

The slightly crumbled cookie shook his head. “No, I’m Niall and I’m a shooting star. You wished on me and here I am. I’m going to make you a great baker, whatever that means. When I got here I transformed into this shape because I thought this is what a human looked like, Boy.”

 

I smiled. “Human’s look like me. By the way, my name is Harry. It’s nice to meet you, Niall.”

 

I shook Niall’s cookie hand.

 

Niall frowned. “Well in that case, I’ll change into a form similar to you.”

 

He closed his eyes and started glowing. I closed my eyes too and hoped that when I opened them that there wouldn’t be a one-legged guy standing in front of me. When I opened my eyes I saw two feet standing there. As I looked up I saw two ankles, then two calves, then two knees, then two thighs, then… oh, I probably should have expected he’d be naked.

 

I blushed as I headed out of the room. “I’ll get you some clothes so you can cover up.”

The small gingerbread voice was replaced by a more normal one. “Is there something you don’t like about my appearance? You have all these parts too, right? I didn’t take on the figure of a girl, did I?”

 

I laughed as I reentered the room with a tunic shirt and pants. “No, girls don’t have, um… they don’t have a, um… no, you’re not a girl.”

 

Niall smiled. “Great. There are some things that aren’t so clear to me. My knowledge of Earth is fragmented.”

 

I nodded. For the first time, I looked at his face. Niall’s human form was a bit shorter than I was. He had short blond hair and sparkly light blue eyes. His eyes sparkled as bright as the stars in the night sky. It took me a minute to realize that the sparkles in his eyes were from tears.

 

As he slipped on the borrowed pants, the tears fell from his eyes and rolled down his cheeks. When at least his bottom half was covered, I established the first human contact he had ever received. I put my hand on his shoulder and he started to cry harder. I pulled him into a hug and tried to calm him down. “Shh. It’s ok. I’m here. It’s all going to be ok.”

 

I wasn’t sure why he was upset, but I didn’t want my new friend to be sad. I sat Niall down on one of the kitchen stools and I spoke softly. “Can you tell me what’s wrong?”

 

Niall wiped away his tears and looked at the wetness on his hand curiously. He looked back at me as he wiped his hand on my shirt. “That human you called sir was really scary, and then I got you in trouble, and then I thought he was going to take me away with the rest of the cookies, and then I broke myself, and then it hurt and I wanted to yell a lot, but I tried to hold it in so you wouldn’t get in trouble, and… and….”

 

He started crying again. I crouched down next to the stool and let him cry on my shoulder again. “You stars are pretty emotional.”

 

Niall nodded against my chest. “We aren’t allowed to move, so all we have are our emotions.”

I smiled. “You moved though.”

 

Niall pulled away from me and his sparkly eyes met mine. “And you saw me.”

 

He buried his head against my shoulder. I nodded. “I did. You’re kind of hard to miss.”

 

I felt his breathing slow down as he fell asleep in my arms. I carried him to my bedroom and laid him on my pile of straw bed.

 

I stood in the doorway and whispered. “Have a good nap Niall.”

He turned so his back was facing me, but I saw him blush a deep shade of red. It was really subtle but it was also kind of hard to miss.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this is my little story so far. I hope you like the magical world that I've thrown Niall and Harry into. Please let me know what you think :D


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